Traveling on board the Aria Amazon riverboat on this 8-day/7-night rainforest expedition, you will experience a great introduction to the Peruvian rainforest. For more than a week, you will be able to explore the mighty Amazon River and rainforest, go piranha fishing on Moringo Lake, trek into the dense jungle in search of Amazonian wildlife and birds, go on night safaris and guided trips through the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, visit local villages and learn about wildlife preservation efforts in the Amazon.

Testimonials

“We booked our Galapagos/Peru trip through Surtrek and are very glad that we did.”A. Arima

Aria Amazon: Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 - Friday

Iquitos – Nauta – Embarkation – Marañon River

Embarkation and Check-In: From the moment you step on board, enjoy the Aria Amazon’s low-key luxury. As you settle into your handsomely appointed, generously proportioned suite, you will feel the vessel begin to move the beginning of one of your life’s great adventures. We suggest you stand on the Upper Deck to take in the view, as the Aria Amazon leaves Iquitos behind.

Over the next seven days, you will also sail along the two largest tributaries of the Peruvian Amazon, the Ucayali, and the Marañon, as well as on the mighty Amazon itself. You are embarking on a spectacular journey to a place visited by only a very few of even the most experienced world travelers.

Safety Drill and Briefing on the Upper Deck: Before dinner, we will perform a routine safety drill. Then it’s into the air-conditioned lounge, where you will learn about life on board and will have the first nightly briefing about your next day’s Amazon adventure. You will meet our naturalist guides and your cruise director, who will use video, photos, and maps to introduce the details of your journey deep into the Peruvian Amazon.

Welcome Dinner: Sit down, relax, sip fine South American wine, toast the beginning of a beautiful journey and enjoy the innovative Amazonian cuisine, created by our Executive Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, whose restaurant, Malabar, is the one of Lima’s top-ranked dining experiences. Schiaffino’s imaginative use of local products – fruit, fish, spices – makes every meal a delightful adventure. (The menu always offers choices, including a vegetarian option.)

Perhaps sip a nightcap on the Upper Deck, under the stars, before retiring.

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Lunch - Dinner

Day 2 - Saturday

Yanayacu-Pucate Rivers – Marañon River

Yanayacu-Pucate River Excursion with Breakfast: This morning, we visit the Yanayacu-Pucate River in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. On the black water river, you can observe the vibrant flora and fauna while looking for macaws and several species of primates like the capuchins and squirrel monkeys as well as the famous Amazon River dolphins, either pink or gray. Amazonian people hold the belief that these dolphins possess the magical power to turn into men and women of great beauty. We will enjoy a light breakfast on board, consisting of homemade baked goods, hot coffee, and fresh juice. We stop near a quiet place where you will see and hear quite a show put on by Mother Nature while you enjoy your meal.

Return to Aria Amazon. Cooking Lesson. Lunch

Marañon Exploration and Walk Along the Casual trail: We sail along the Marañon River, watching the different species of flora and fauna as we approach the Casual community where we will hike on land. Here you will see a plethora of wildlife, so keep your binoculars ready to observe tanagers and Orioles as well as various reptiles and amphibians. Keep an eye out for the beautiful and eye-catching but poisonous frogs along this fascinating trail, as well as trees and medicinal plants.

Return to Aria Amazon. Crew Presentation: Towards the Birth of the Amazon River and Dinner: While you dine, we continue our journey upstream, toward the headwaters of the Amazon River, where the Ucayali and Marañon Rivers merge.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 3 - Sunday

Samiria River – Nauta Caño or Amazonian Natural Park (PNA)

Samiria River Excursion with Breakfast on Board: This morning, you can enjoy a light breakfast on board, consisting of homemade baked goods, hot coffee, and fresh juice. We stop near a quiet place where you will see and hear quite a show put on by Mother Nature while you enjoy your meal. Afterwards, we will set off by skiffs for an excursion along the Samiria River, with optional fishing. On the black water river, you can observe the vibrant flora and fauna while looking for macaws and several species of primates like the capuchin and squirrel monkeys.

Return to Aqua Amazon. Cooking Lesson. Lunch

Excursion to Nauta Caño or the Amazonia Natural Park: Nauta Caño is part of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, also known as the Forest of Mirrors due to its dark lagoons, which reflect the scenery. In this area, we will observe toucans, macaws, and iguanas, among many other species. As we make our way back to the Aria Amazon, you may also see alligators, frogs and fishing bats. Alternatively, we will visit the Amazonia Natural Park, where you can listen to an after lunch flora and fauna lecture, then venture out for a singularly thrilling jungle walk across suspended bridges deep into the high Amazon rainforest.

Return to Aqua Amazon for a crew presentation called "Towards the Birth of the Amazon River," which will be followed by dinner: While you dine, we continue our journey upstream, toward the headwaters of the Amazon River, where the Ucayali and Marañon Rivers merge.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 4 - Monday

Birthplace of the Amazon – Village Visit – Nauta Town

Towards the birthplace of the Amazon River: Get up early to enjoy the Amazon River with your morning coffee as the Aria Amazon skirts the edge of the vast Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, a flooded forest covering five million acres at the headwaters of the Amazon basin. We will witness one of the great spectacles of the Southern Hemisphere: the sun rising over the origin of the Amazon River. Here, the junction of two major tributaries, the Ucayali and the Marañon, form one of the greatest waterfalls in the world – certainly this is nature at its most captivating. Your morning excursion will be accompanied by abundant bird song, as you glide in our small boats past large-billed terns, Laughing falcons, the exotic Short-tailed parrot, and dozens of other vibrantly hued birds.

Breakfast. Travel briefing

Village Visit with Shaman Experience: We will travel by boat to a community located along the Marañon River, where you will meet and interact with local villagers in this remote part of the world and learn about their traditions and folklore. Walk around with our naturalist guides to see how Aria Expeditions works with these communities to improve their natural resource management. We will learn about traditional uses of medicinal plants from a shaman whose knowledge of spiritual healing has been down from generation to generation since time immemorial. You will also have the opportunity to shop for local handicrafts directly from the artisans.

Return to Aria Amazon. Lunch.

Visit in the town of Nauta: This afternoon, we will visit the town of Nauta, founded in 1930. Nauta is the main point where villagers from around Amazonia come to sell the products they harvest in their rural communities. We'll walk around Nauta to gain insights into the life of these coastal peoples. We will also visit the local fresh market, with your guides on hand to point out the different fish caught by the fishermen of Amazonia, and all types of indigenous fruits.

Later, you may visit the Sapi-Sapi Lagoon.

Return to Aria Amazon. Dinner. Meet new passengers who have signed on for the four-night trip, and enjoy your gourmet meal as we start our journey along the Marañon River.

Ucayali River Exploration: This morning, board the skiffs to explore a fascinating Ucayali River, part of the vast Amazon flooded forest within the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Your guides will tell you about the jungle as we explore what scientists call a "gallery forest," because of its dense vegetation that creates a tunnel of leaves. As we explore this type of riparian vegetation, watch above for parrots, macaws, and fluffy monk saki monkeys. We will also have the opportunity to hike the Yanallpa Gorge, watching the forest and the animals that can be found along the way.

Return to Aria Amazon. Lunch. Lecture in the lounge by our naturalist guides.

Pacaya River Exploration and Piranha Fishing: This morning you will board our comfortable boat to sail and explore the Pacaya blackwater river. Life jackets, ponchos, rubber boots, and fresh water are always available in our boats. As we sail, the occasional fisherman will paddle past in their homemade canoes. Keep your binoculars ready to spot terns, tropical songbirds, black hawks, monkeys and sloths necks that share this enchanted place with us. After our arrival at a particular point, you may use your hooks to try to catch some of the ferocious piranhas of the Amazon. As you fish, trained naturalist guides will tell the story of the lake and its inhabitants.

Return to the Aria Amazon. Dinner.

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 6 - Wednesday

Pacaya River – Ucayali River – Tapiche River

An expedition along the Pacaya River: This morning we will undertake an excursion along the Pacaya River, observing and exploring the flooded forest of this vast region of the Peruvian Amazon. You will sail among a wide variety of wildlife, birds including large parrots, macaws, herons and storks and many species of primates like the capuchin, howler and squirrel monkeys, who can be very funny. We will have the opportunity to visit and fish in some of the most beautiful lakes in the protected reserve and to meet some of the friendly local people who take care of the reserve’s natural resources. Your nature guides will discuss the Aria’s involvement in the natural resource management of Amazonia. We will eat a picnic lunch en route and on our return, we can see the famous Ceiba tree, the highest in the Amazon.

Return to Aria Amazon. Lunch

Exploring the Ucayali & Tapiche Rivers: During this expedition, we’ll be keeping our eyes out for two different kinds of freshwater dolphins but especially the unusual pink dolphins found in the Ucayali & Tapiche rivers. We’ll also spot arboreal lizards, iguanas and look up to catch a glimpse of some of the area’s 200 bird species.

Return to the Aria Amazon. Dinner

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Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Day 7 - Thursday

Clavero Lake – Village Visit – Amazon River

Canoeing and swimming in Clavero Lake: We sail on to Lake Clavero where villagers paddle in their traditional dugout canoes. You may wish to swim in the lake’s calm waters and visit the community to interact with our Amazonia neighbors who will be pleased to welcome you.

San Jose Flooded Forest: This afternoon, we will disembark for a short jungle walk in the San Jose flooded forest and see the unforgettable giant water lilies.

Meet in the lounge with our naturalist guides for the Crew Presentation: This evening, the guides will introduce some of the crew members whom you may not have met, who worked "behind the scenes" to ensure your memorable trip has been filled with countless exceptional experiences. Dinner

Birthplace of the Amazon: After an early morning in Puerto Prado to experience the birthplace of the Amazon, we will return to the ship for your last lunch on board the Aria Amazon.

Disembarkation / City Tour / Manatee Rescue Center / Transfer to the Airport: This afternoon, in Iquitos, we will visit the Manatee Rescue Center. A kind of animal orphanage for Amazonian manatees, this center rescues, rehabilitates and releases them back into the wild. Later, we stop at the Amazonian Indian Market San Juan, where, you may wish to shop for local crafts before leaving. Guides will help with check in at the airport and stay with you until you have boarded your flight back to Lima.

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Breakfast

Aria Amazon: Prices

2018 - Price per person

Room

First Deck

Second Deck

8 Days

US$ 8,925

US$ 9,275

Included in the price:

Aria Amazon River cruises are priced based on per person, double occupancy in Suites and Master Suites. Included in these all-inclusive cruise rates are: